Patiala Cricket Association - Dhruv Pandove Cricket Stadium

Please join us in the noble cause of saving lives. A blood donation camp is being held in the loving memory of our beloved cricket star late Dhruve Pandove at Dhruve Pandove Cricket Stadium tomorrow i.e. 30th January 10:30 am onwards.

Proud moment!! Our founding member honoured by present B.C.C.I Hon’y Secretary Shri. Jay Shah s/o honourable home minister Shri. Amit Shah.

The story of Rajindra Gymkhana Mahendra Club and Baradari Stadium

In July, 1948, the erstwhile Patiala State merged into the newly formed Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU). H.H. Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Ji became the Raj Pramukh of newly formed PEPSU State.
At this point of time, the two Institutions i.e. (1) Gymkhana Club and (2) Patiala Cricket Association affiliated to B.C.C.I, functioned from same one office Room in the same building of the present R.G.M. Club. The Patiala Cricket Association worked smoothly under Lala Amar Nath as annual subvention was regularly received from B.C.C.I and support from the State in maintaining the Cricket Ground.
It was well known in the middle of year 1956 that the State of PEPSU is going to be merged in the present State of Punjab. Foreseeing this on 1st July-1956, H.H. Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Ji, the Raj Pramukh of PEPSU decided to delink the Gymkhana Club from the Patiala Cricket Association. The Gymkhana Pavilion and the facilities attached to it towards the Rajbaha Road side such as squash Court, Swimming Pool, Tennis Ground and Mini shooting range, etc., and the ground within their premises only up to Rajbaha road were leased out to the Gymkhana Club so the then Members could maintain their complex by generating their own funds.
Thereafter, Patiala Cricket Association was headed by Raja Bhalinder Singh Ji and assisted by Lala Amar Nath the famous Cricketer and later on assisted by Sh. Babu Lal Bhargawa PCS.
Till now, the coordination between the Association and the Club was very smooth. During the first class Cricket Matches the Club Card rooms were used as Players dressing rooms and the main verandas of Club on ground and first floors were used for seating VIPs during matches.
Slowly with the change of Club Membership during next decade, the Club members started objecting to the use of its premises by Patiala Cricket Association during matches.
In the meanwhile Raja Bhalindra Singh shifted to New Delhi and Lala Amar Nath joined Indian Railways and left Patiala.
The remaining senior Members of Patiala Cricket Association such as Late S. Bharpur Singh Dhaliwal, IPS (Retd.), Dr. S.R. Hoon, Civil Surgeon, Brigadier Fateh Singh, S. Amar Singh Harika. S. Joginder Singh S. E Retd., Sh. R. C. Jaidka, Head Civil Engineering Department of Thapar College etc. found it difficult to keep the Cricket ground insulated from unruly elements and to maintain it to the desired standards. All these gentlemen and old Retired Cricketers of Patiala State met H.H. Maharaja Yadavindra Singh of Patiala and appraised the H.H of the total situation. Then H.H. Maharaja Sahib advised the visiting Association members to associate the local Deputy Commissioner and solve their day to day problems. This system went on satisfactorily and the successive Deputy Commissioners like Sh. S. L. Kapur, Sh. S. S. Boparai, Sh. Hardial Singh, Sh. Darshan Kumar, Sh. I. S. Bindra, Sh. D. S. Chaudhary and so on remained presidents of the Association and system went on well.
With the passage of time the requirements of the game, the players, the Press and Media and the Cricket loving Spectators of Patiala increased which could not be met by borrowing facilities from the Gymkhana Club.
Later the Association organized an All India Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Gold Cup Invitation tournament in which Raja Bhalinder Singh came and visited and saw the state of facilities himself and suggested that in case the Association wants to keep the name of Patiala in Cricket world then facilities for players (dressing room) their eating areas, facilities for press and media and stands for the spectators be constructed in the ground premises independently of the Club building.

Inception of State-level cricket in India in early 1900s

Even after the formation of B.C.C.I in 1928 domestic first class cricket had been played between the different communities on religious basis i.e. Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims etc., which was objected by Mahatma Gandhi and he demanded that national Championship should be played on Inter State basis and not on communal basis. This demand of Gandhi ji was agreed upon by B.C.C.I.

Thereafter H.H. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Ji came forward and donated Ranji Trophy in the name of his friend and associate Mr. Ranjit Sinhji of Jamnagar. Original Cost of this Trophy was Rs. 5000/- in the year 1935. It necessitated the formation of teams on State Basis. British Provinces framed their Provincial level Associations and their State teams, mostly Associations were headed by Army Officers in British areas in cantonments. The Princely States like Patiala Baroda, Holkars, Saurashra, Jaipur etc., formed their own teams and their Organizations were designated by the Princely States themselves and they worked as Cricket Association Wings at par with the British India's Provincial level Associations.

At that point of time none of these Associations were incorporated but affiliated to B.C.C.I.

In 1911-12, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Ji was elected as captain of Indian unofficial cricket team to play matches against England in UK. Professor D.B.Deodhar, was a prominent member of this team. After this tour, there was a regular flow of well-known cricket team from Bombay Parsee Club, Hindu Gymkhana started coming to Patiala for their regular matches.
During the first world war cricket matches came to a halt, but later on, it was played with double the vigor. In 1920, Col. Douglas’s Cricket team from Ambala came to Patiala and played a match. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Ji scored 242 runs, studded with 16 sixes and 18 fours. The famous story of “Patiala Peg” took place in this match.
In 1926-27, Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) under Capt. E.A.G. Gilligan toured India and visited Patiala. They played a match in which Patiala blue, Wazir Ali scored 140 runs. In the same series, Amar Singh fast bowler established his credentials as a fast bowler.

Since, the inception of the Baradari Cricket Ground till today, it has been used as Cricket ground and many international teams visited his place. In 1996, The Australian XI under the captaincy of Steve Waugh, visited Patiala and was impressed by seeing the sylvia surroundings of the ground. He appreciated the batting wicket and the cricketing atmosphere.
Regular Ranji matches are staged in this ground. Camps for under 19, under 23 of North Zones have been organised here. The present infrastructure in the ground can have any international match at any given time.